What I want to be when I grow up.

I spent a total of 23 consecutive years in school.

Ouch.

When I finished my Ph.D., I went to work at my current job as a post-doctoral fellow, which is a position kind of like middle-management, academically. You aren't the boss, but you are higher up on the totem pole than a grad student and get a little more money. But it's still a transient position, until you decide what you want to do.

Earlier this year, I finally made the decision that I am going to try an academic life. That means try and get a job as a professor, and run my own lab at a University, being resposible for creative ideas that will encourage other people to give me money (e.g. grants) and direct the career of graduate students. This scares me sh**less.

But, I'm on my way. I'm spending the day working on my reseach plan (a statement of the research areas I am interested in an intend to pursue) and my teaching interests, so I can apply for a University job that I found out about. We'll see how it goes.

Skele-kitty

Check this out (SFW):

http://michaelpaulus.com/gallery/character-Skeletons

Very cool, and a bit wierd.

Lisa

Skele-kitty

Check this out (SFW):

http://michaelpaulus.com/gallery/character-Skeletons

Very cool, and a bit wierd.

Lisa

Organization

(As I write this, my cat, doped up on catnip, is busy staring at me from behind the laptop screen)

I admit, I'm a bit of a control freak. One thing I like to control is my stuff. I like to know where things are. Like the old saying goes, "A place for everything and everything in its place".

(The cat just tried to eat a cardboard box)

Anyway, I decided to try and impose order on my den/office/guestroom today. And that, folks, is why the Container Store is heaven. If you like organization, boxes anything like that, even a bit, I highly recommend going there. I swear they have everything! I have yet to go there with an organization or con tainer need and not find it.

I suppose this really exposes my geeky side. This is similar to my delight in my twice yearly major visit to Office Depot for restocking.

(The cat is now trying to eat the futon)

Ok, that's it, off to dinner. I'll post later.

.....

P.S. Diet update: I fell off the wagon over Thankgiving, but am back on the SBD, albeit in a combination of Phase I and II, and have lost the weight I gained.

Friendship

A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.
-- Walter Winchell


That was posted on another site. It's wierd how you see things online or in your life that coincide with what has just happened. I have been thinking about friendship a lot the last few days, in part spurred by a good conversation with a friend of mine. I feel so lucky to have people, both here and in other cities, that I can count on as friends.

Thanks to all of you.